LW chapter 24

The Sun family’s arrival was unexpected yet inevitable.

After the Sun family left that day, they never came back. On the first day, Old Madam Sun remained calm, assuming that things would take time to settle. However, after two or three days passed with no sign of them, she started to panic. She told her second daughter-in-law to go out and ask around. Before the woman could leave the house, however, a commotion broke out outside.

Old Madam Sun opened the door with her cane and saw that it was the father of her eldest grandson Sun Wei’s fiancée. She immediately put on a smile. “I was wondering why my in-laws are here today. Ah Wei went out for something and hasn’t returned yet.”

Back when she was younger, her family was well-off, and she used to speak with a scholarly air. But those days were long gone. Speaking like that now just annoyed people.

The man didn’t bother with pleasantries. He cursed, “Of course he hasn’t come back! He’s still in county jail. It’s not that he won’t come home—he can’t come home!”

His words hit the remaining members of the Sun family like a thunderclap. Old Madam Sun’s legs gave out, and she quickly grabbed the man’s arm. “What…what did you just say?!”

The man was afraid that he would break her bones if he pushed too hard, so he awkwardly pulled his arm away. By then, the neighbors were all poking their heads out to watch the drama unfold.

He raised his voice, saying, “It’s all over the village now! Your family bullied a widow you haven’t seen in years, tried to steal her son’s pension, and sold her husband. There’s no way I’m letting my daughter marry into a family like yours!”

He took a pouch from his sleeve and pulled out a tael of silver. “These are the betrothal gifts your family gave mine. They’ve already been used, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to return them. Here’s the equivalent value in silver. From now on, our two families have nothing to do with each other.”

“Wait, this is—”

But the man had no intention of sticking around. He tossed the silver, turned around, and left. As he walked away, he was thankful that he hadn’t rushed into the marriage. Looking back at the Sun family’s house, he was certain he had dodged a disaster.

That tiny place didn’t even have a courtyard. Old Madam Sun looked fierce, and this family was capable of such vile things. He could only imagine how much his daughter would have suffered if she had married into the family.

Old Madam Sun was so furious that her blood pressure spiked. She nearly fainted, and her second daughter-in-law had to catch her. “Mom, what happened?!”

Old Madam Sun looked around at what remained of her family. All the able-bodied men were gone. She slammed her cane against the ground. “I’m going to the county office!”

The rest of the Sun family, other than the few young ones, followed her to the county office. That’s when they finally learned the whole story.

It turned out that Sun Cui had gone to the authorities and reported her in-laws. The county judge had flogged the men and thrown them in jail for ten days.

However, the autumn planting season was right around the corner, and now all the laborers in the family were locked up. If they couldn’t plant in time, what would they eat next year?

Old Madam Sun wasn’t completely clueless. In the end, she paid five taels of silver to bail the men out.

On the way home, nobody said a word. Sun Kang and the others had been beaten badly, and since they hadn’t received medicine right away, Old Madam Sun had to spend more money on treatment—yet another heavy expense.

She was so angry her teeth nearly cracked. Not only had she failed to get any money out of this, but she had also lost nearly ten taels of silver. Sun Cui had to pay this back—every last bit. She owed them not just the silver, but also Sun Wei’s broken engagement and next year’s harvest. She owed them all of it.

The next day, it rained on Mid-Autumn Festival. Chen Qing and Aunt Sun were sorting seeds at home, including Zhou Yuan’s.

Aunt Sun took the winnowing basket from beside Chen Qing’s feet and said, “Once you’re done, start making clothes. Zhou Yuan’s too, not just yours.”

Chen Qing glanced at the two bundles of cloth laid out on the bed. “I don’t have his measurements. How can I make them?”

“Then go ask him,” said Aunt Sun.

Chen Qing gave a quiet “Oh” and went back to fiddling with the thread. The room fell silent, save for the sound of rain softly tapping against the roof.

The atmosphere was peaceful and warm.

But that peace shattered the moment someone knocked on the door.

Aunt Sun and Chen Qing looked at each other. From the look in their eyes, they both understood—it had finally come to this.

When Aunt Sun stepped out of the main hall, she saw Old Madam Sun—who rarely left her house—standing outside with her two sons and two daughters-in-law.

Aunt Sun hadn’t expected Old Madam Sun to show up at her doorstep. It had been years since they had last seen each other. If Aunt Sun hadn’t gone to their house, there was no way the old woman would have ever come to hers.

“Sun Cui, you’ve got some nerve,” Old Madam Sun sneered. Her eyes were full of fury, as if she wanted to tear Aunt Sun apart. “You had your own brothers and nephews thrown into jail. You’re such a good daughter.”

Aunt Sun’s eyes were calm. Maybe when she was younger, she’d had some hope for her mother, but after that year, she gave up completely. “Good? I’ve never been good. If I were, would my mother have kicked me out of the house and said that a married daughter is like spilled water?”

Old Madam Sun was wearing a straw raincoat, but she was completely soaked. Aunt Sun had no intention of letting them inside.

“How could you call yourself her daughter?” her second sister-in-law snapped. “Look at your own mother, soaked like this, and you don’t even care?”

Chen Qing hesitated, then stepped out, too. “Mom, just let them come in out of the rain. If they get sick, we’ll still have to deal with it.”

Old Madam Sun didn’t say another word. She marched into the hall and sat on the main seat. She jabbed her cane at Aunt Sun. “Kneel.”

Aunt Sun didn’t budge. “Why?”

“You tried to kill your own brothers, and you didn’t even spare the younger ones. What did they ever do to deserve being dragged to court and beaten like that?!”

“They broke into my home and tried to steal my son.” Aunt Sun said coldly. “That was the judge’s ruling. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to beat the grievance drum and file a complaint.”

Old Madam Sun was so furious she could hardly breathe. She turned on Chen Qing next. “All this over some cheap gifts? You dragged your own family to court!”

“Were you kicked in the head by a donkey? Instead of selling him for money, you kept him and let him ruin your family?”

“I’m not family!” Aunt Sun shouted. “You said years ago that I wasn’t your daughter!”

Old Madam Sun pointed a shaking finger. “I spent five taels bailing your brothers out and five more on medicine. Because of you, Dawei’s marriage fell through. You’d better pay me back. Twenty taels. If you don’t give me twenty taels to find Dawei a new wife, I’m not leaving this house!”

Aunt Sun laughed. “Twenty taels? Are you dreaming? Where would I get that kind of money?”

“Meng Tao’s pension is ten taels. Give me that, and let me sell that thing—”she pointed at Chen Qing”—and we’ll call it even. Give me the money, and I’ll still recognize you as my daughter.”

Chen Qing had once been afraid they’d sell him again. But after living with Aunt Sun all this time, he knew she truly treated him like family. He wasn’t afraid anymore.

“I’m not worthy of being your daughter. My heart isn’t as black as yours. I won’t give you a single coin, and I won’t give you my child. He’s mine. I’m not like you, selling off your own flesh and blood.”

Seeing that she wouldn’t budge, Old Madam Sun became enraged. “Take him! Drag him back with us!”

“If he can’t be sold, then he’ll marry Dawei! It’s his fault Dawei’s original engagement fell through.” Old Madam Sun stared at Chen Qing, deciding he looked decent enough, and decided to just take him. That way, Dawei wouldn’t need to pay for another betrothal gift.

The two daughters-in-law were strong from working in the fields. Aunt Sun could block one, but not both, and two little kids had already gone to grab Chen Qing.

Standing in his doorway, Chen Qing grabbed a stick he’d saved since the last time someone tried to steal their money. He whacked the woman trying to grab Aunt Sun’s hair across the arm.

Chaos broke out. Old Madam Sun tried to rush in and snatch their money pouch, unaware of the commotion outside.

Realizing their money was right by the bed, Chen Qing lunged to grab Old Madam Sun’s cane. The old woman stumbled and nearly fell on top of him.

But the weight never came.

Chen Qing looked up and saw Zhou Yuan gripping Old Madam Sun’s collar from behind as if she weighed nothing.

His eyes swept the room. Chen Qing and the old woman appeared to be the more vulnerable of the two—one was elderly and the other was crippled.

“Whose family are you from?!” Old Madam Sun shrieked, still dangling from Zhou Yuan’s grip.

Zhou Yuan let go, helped Chen Qing up, and then pulled the old woman back to her feet.

“You dumb brat!” Old Madam Sun shouted. “Didn’t anyone teach you not to interrupt when a family is dealing with their own issues?”

“No one taught me anything. My parents died a long time ago,” Zhou Yuan said calmly.

“You—!”

Zhou Yuan cut her off. “Meng Tao asked me to take care of his mother. If anyone bullies her, I’ll step in. And you—you’re definitely bullying her.”

“I’m disciplining my daughter! You’re just an outsider. What right do you have? Get out!”

“I’m staying here today.” Zhou Yuan stood in the doorway. The hall was already dim, and with him blocking the entrance, it felt even darker. His voice was cold and heavy. “If you have something to say, say it to my face.”

His presence was overwhelming. The two brothers behind Old Madam Sun shrank back in fear.

Chen Qing stood in the shadows, staring at Zhou Yuan. He was tall with sharp eyebrows. Anyone seeing him for the first time would find him intimidating.

His gaze drifted to the cane in Old Madam Sun’s hand, then down to his own legs. He figured he’d find a better walking stick tomorrow to make moving around easier.

“If you’re here because of those useless fools from your family, then you’re barking up the wrong tree.” Zhou Yuan leaned against the doorframe, shot Chen Qing a glance, then fixed his stare on Old Madam Sun. “I’m the one who turned them in to the officials.”

“I’ve got military honors. If I don’t like someone, I can send them back to jail anytime I want.”

“Old lady, if you come here again to mess with Auntie, I won’t guarantee that your family won’t end up floating down the Luo River one day.”

“Do you even respect the law?!” Old Madam Sun gasped for air; she was so angry she couldn’t breathe. But when she looked at Zhou Yuan, she didn’t see a thug. No—what she saw was terrifyingly real authority.

“Old lady,” Zhou Yuan stepped forward, his eyes sharp. “In this world, whoever has the harder punch wins. Do you want to keep causing trouble?”

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